The #1 Question We're Asked...

Hi blog friends!

Now that we’ve been in our home for a little over a week, I thought I would give a status update on what we think of the commute.  One of the biggest questions or concerns we get from people when we tell them we’re living in Bremerton and working in the Seattle area is how the heck we handle the long commute.  Since we did this commute before we got married, it was something we were already familiar with. But, it’s even more enjoyable now that we are married and can do part of our commute together.

Kyle prep’s our coffee, and I try to pack our lunches at night. The night before I also like to at least think about what I want to wear the next day because I have a harder time waking up than Kyle. We wake up at 4:45am; Kyle is first to get up and I usually snuggle for a few extra minutes with Sophie.  I am notorious for “snoozing” my alarm,  but knowing I have to catch the ferry helps get me out of bed a little faster than I did before.  Kyle pours our coffee once we’re up and moving, and then we’re out the door by about 5:40am.

Here is a quick snapshot of what I like to bring with me in my tote bag:

·         Coffee in a traveler mug
·         Book
·         Journal
·         iPhone
·         Purse
·         Camera
·         Lunch and snacks

We’ve been walking to the ferry, which is actually quite nice!  Kyle and I think it’s a mile or less each way and it takes us 35 minutes. It’s dark in the morning, but I love that walk that we take together.  We get to walk along the water to the Manette bridge, so the air is nice and crisp and we can usually hear the waves (and sometimes even sea lion jibber-jabber, which I like). We hardly see any cars on the walk and it’s well lit, so it is nice and safe. Kyle picked some wild sweet pea’s one morning, which was a fun little surprise (as in the pea, although there are sweet pea flowers nearby as well). Once we’re close to the Manette Bridge, we can start smelling the pastries and doughnuts from Larry and Kristie’s Bakery (they don’t have a website, but check out their Yelp comments here. They open at 5am, so one morning when we have extra time maybe we’ll stop in for a treat!

We typically get to the ferry just a few minutes before it takes off. Kyle and I typically read books or use our iPhones to get online. I like to have a book, but I also like to catch up on my blog-reading. It’s also a good time for me to make new lists. I am a list-maker for sure, so it’s nice to get all my “to-do’s” in order or think about what we need at the store for the week.

My FAVORITE part of the commute is everything you get to see outside on the ferry. There is nothing like it! The beauty of the Pacific Northwest really takes your breath away. Even when it’s gray and foggy outside, it’s beautiful.  Here are some photos from a recent sunrise on our commute, it was a nice and clear day for photos.  A cool suprise on a recent commute (and unfortunately I was unable to get a good photo) was that we saw a couple Orca Whales!  It was amazing, and definitely not your typical commute. So much fun to get outside and see them cresting in the water – just beautiful!

Once we get to Seattle, I can take the Starbucks shuttle to work, so I’ve got it super easy. It takes me about 5 minutes to get to work once the shuttle picks us up at the ferry terminal.  Kyle carpools or takes the bus to Bellevue, so his commute is a few minutes longer.

In the evening, we typically don’t take the ferry together.  I usually catch the 4:20pm Seattle – Bremerton ferry and Kyle takes the 5:30pm ferry.  It’s nice because I can get home a little early and get going on some things around the house, outside yard work, or start dinner. 

The winter months are coming and we can ride the bus if needed, but we’re hoping to still walk to the ferry as much as we can.  The ferry is typically just a little slick when it’s rainy; I would say the hardest part of the commute is the winter months when the daylight hours are shorter, so it's dark when we leave home in the morning and almost dark when we get home at night. But otherwise, it’s still a pretty easy and comfortable commute.

That's a wrap of the Bremerton – Seattle commute! Not bad, I must say. Of course it’s a little longer compared to what other people’s commutes are like, but it’s certainly not as bad as some think, and it’s definitely worth it for us living in our home in Bremerton!